January 4, 2003
DUH?:
The Rite Stuff : Daily behavioral patterns link families closer together (Sam Graceffo, M.D., 12/25/02, Syracuse New Times)Most of us engage in various routines and rituals; some provide comfort and others pain. Syracuse University psychologist Barbara Fiese conducted an investigation of this topic by reviewing 32 studies from the past 50 years. She concluded that customs, which are still widely practiced in the United States, hold significant meaning. They help improve mental and physical health and provide a sense of security and belonging.
Do you ever get the feeling that the entire scientific project, insofar as it applies to human, is leading us gradually back to what we knew to be true around 1790? Posted by Orrin Judd at January 4, 2003 10:18 AM
Orrin,
You really got me going on a rant
on this subject. I think the problem is much deeper than just scientists. It's pretty much all of academia. They just can't help themselves. It's just that scientists issue press releases after concluding self-evident research.
This is a very good point. I have noticed this reading about the field of nutrition, where eating lots of bread and rice is now regarded as leading to obesity -- conventional wisdom in the early 1800s.
Posted by: John Beckwith at January 4, 2003 1:09 PMMr. Judd;
I'm not surprised. This is one reason I tend toward conservatism as a libertarian. While previous societies were wrong about many things, they could hardly be wrong about everything. We're like a precocious teenager who, noticing that their parents aren't familiar with whatever new-fangled gadgets are in vogue, assume that the parents must be ignorant about everything else as well.